P05.17.A CIRCULATING MIRNA-21 IN PLASMA CORRELATES WITH FUNCTIONAL STATUS IN GLIOMA PATIENTS

Abstract BACKGROUND Glioma is the most common primary central nervous system malignancy. Prognosis in glioma patients is generally assessed through various measures, notably the Karnofsky performance status (KPS). Recently, miRNA-21 has been identified as a promising biomarker for predicting the prognosis of glioma patients. Nonetheless, the relationship between miRNA-21 and KPS in glioma patients, especially within the Indonesian population, is still unclear. MATERIAL AND METHODS This study employed a cross-sectional design. The subjects consisted of patients diagnosed with glioma at a neuro-oncology referral hospital located in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Data about demographic characteristics, clinical details, and radiological findings were extracted from medical records. The Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) was evaluated on the initial day of admission. Pathological brain tissue samples were dispatched for histopathological analysis and molecular status evaluation, encompassing IDH mutation and MGMT methylation assessment. A blood specimen was collected before the surgical intervention for the quantification of miRNA-21 utilizing the 2-ΔCT method. RESULTS Ninety-three patients were included in the study. The expression of miRNA-21 demonstrated a significant negative correlation with the KPS score (r = -0.287; p = 0.005). The multiple linear regression model indicated that miRNA-21 expression is an independent variable negatively associated with the functional status of glioma patients, as assessed by KPS (β = -0.1217; p = 0.002). CONCLUSION This study indicates that elevated levels of miRNA-21 correlate with worse performance status in glioma patients.